“Europa Report” is, scientifically and dramatically, one of the best science fiction films to come along in years. According to Popular Science, it “sets a new standard for realism in sci-fi.” At the same time, the critics at Rotten Tomatoes rate Europa Report as “80% Fresh.” (That’s high praise even for a Scorsese or Allen film!) The only way that Wonderfest and SF in SF can improve “Europa Report” is to follow it with the insights of legendary astrobiologist Dr. Chris McKay. McKay will likely poke some intriguing holes in Europa Report. In doing so, he will vastly inflate our understanding of interplanetary travel AND of hypothetical life in Europa’s temperate ocean –– in orbit around mighty Jupiter.
WHAT: The Road to Europa WHO:Dr. Chris McKay, Planetary Scientist, NASA-Ames Research Center WHEN:7:00pm, Monday, June 30, 2014 WHERE:SoMa StrEat Food Park, 428 – 11th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 HOW: First, a special screening of 2013’s Europa Report, then discussion and Q&A with Dr. McKay. Produced in collaboration with SF in SF. WHY: Because we’re curious creatures. ADMISSION: FREE. Please register with Eventbrite, below:
Planet Earth is constantly being struck by interplanetary debris: fine dust, rocks, boulders (big enough to outshine the Sun when they die), asteroids, comets, and even small stray planets. Some of these events offer glorious night-time views, others can cause planetary annihilation. Please join Dr. Zahnle as he explores the glories and the threats … when worlds collide.
Wonderfest and the Mt. Tamalpais Astronomy Program present Planetologist Kevin Zahnle from the NASA-Ames Research Center for a talk on Earth’s status as a “rock star” for powerful impacts from space.
After Dr. Zahnle’s presentation, the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers (SFAA) will provide big telescopes for wonderful close-up views of the heavens.
WHAT: “When Worlds Collide,” a lecture followed by star gazing WHO: Dr. Kevin Zahnle, planetologist, NASA-Ames Research Center, and Paul Salazar, the Urban Astronomer WHEN: Saturday, May 31, 2014; 8:30 PM WHERE:Cushing Memorial Amphitheater, Mt. Tamalpais State Park, 801 Panoramic Hwy., Mill Valley, CA. Also, try this Google Maps URL <http://goo.gl/maps/w0pFy> HOW: Presented in collaboration with the Mt. Tam Astronomy Program, SFAA, Friends of Mt. Tam, and California State Parks. Just in case, please wear warm clothes in layers, and call 415-455-5370 if the weather looks dodgy. Bring a flashlight, a seat cushion, and a heavenly amount of curiosity. ADMISSION: FREE
The sky split open, and “something like the sun fell” through. This was one eyewitness account of last year’s meteor strike over Chelyabinsk, Russia. The 60-foot-wide, 13,000-ton hunk of asteroid exploded into several pieces, with consequences that injured 1000 people. The meteor’s total energy of impact equalled 30 Hiroshima bombs.
NASA planetary impact expert Kevin Zahnle reminds us that Earth is constantly struck by interplanetary debris: mostly tiny bits, but occasional big chunks, too. When a truly huge object smacks Earth, the devastation is spread far beyond the point of contact. Impact backsplash rocks are flung all over the globe. As they fall back to Earth, this backscatter reentry debris superheats the entire atmosphere. The dinosaurs, for example, were globally roasted as air temperatures rose to ~700°F (pizza oven temperatures!) following the K-Pg impact of 66 million years ago.
Dr. Zahnle will present When Worlds Collide at 8:30pm on Saturday, May 31, atop Mt. Tamalpais in Marin. His slide presentation in Cushing Memorial Amphitheater will be followed by a laser-guided star tour with Urban Astronomer Paul Salazar. Finally, attendees can look through the impressive telescopes of the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers (SFAA) for a close-up view of the heavens. This Wonderfest event is co-produced by Mt. Tam Astronomy Programs, SFAA, Friends of Mt. Tam, and California State Parks.
If you can’t attend When Worlds Collide, could a fake, inert, stand-in presentation provide some of the benefits? Of course, an ersatz Wonderfest event just can’t replace the real McCoy! But inert and inactive medical treatments often provide some of the benefits of real medicine.
Take a spectacular (and pointed!) example… As far as careful scientific studies can tell, acupuncture derives its health benefits entirely from the placebo effect! There may be no finer placebo expert on Earth than Dr. Howard Fields of UC San Francisco. Dr. Fields will present Placebo and the Illusory Nature of Perception at 7:00pm on Monday, June 2, at San Francisco’s StrEat Food Park.
The placebo effect is so powerful that this presentation (co-produced with Ask a Scientist) should come with a warning:
P.S. There’s still time to snag tickets to SkeptiCal, the Northern California Science & Skepticism Conference. Expert presentations will address science literacy, climate change, astrology, and, generally, the boundaries between science and pseudoscience. SkeptiCal takes place in Oakland on Saturday, May 31. BTW, there WILL be time to scoot from Oakland to Mt. Tam to make Wonderfest’s “Collisions” event later that evening.
P.P.S. “Live better, help often, wonder more” is the motto of Sunday Assembly, the deity-free church movement. If you haven’t enjoyed this newsletter, then you surely won’t enjoy my “wonder” presentation at Sunday Assembly Silicon Valley on June 8. 😉
The word placebo, from Latin “I shall please,” was defined in Quincy’s Lexicon-Medicum (1811) as “[any medicine] adapted more to please than to benefit the patient”. But as you probably know, pharmacologically inert “sugar pills” can do much more than just please — they can bring about very real physical benefits for patients suffering from a range of painful and debilitating conditions. This extraordinary phenomenon is both tangibly promising, in terms of disease management, and intellectually tantalizing. You gotta wonder: Are people really being cured? Do placebos work on children? How about people with cognitive impairments? Are hypnosis, acupuncture, and prayer related to the placebo effect? Are there certain conditions that are completely impervious to placebos? UCSF’s Dr. Howard Fields will answer our questions and share his expertise on the tremendously fascinating placebo (and nocebo) effect.
WHAT: Placebo and the Illusory Nature of Perception WHO:Dr. Howard Fields, Professor of Neurology, UC San Francisco WHEN:7:00pm, Monday, June 2, 2014 WHERE:SoMa StrEat Food Park, 428 – 11th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 HOW: Presented in collaboration with Ask a Scientist. WHY: Because we’re curious creatures.
ADMISSION: FREE. Please register.
Please consider making a donation to Wonderfest to help us promote science. Even a modest gift will make more events like this possible.
We spend one third of our lives asleep, yet doctors and scientists still have no complete understanding as to why. It is one of the great scientific mysteries. This talk will describe new discoveries suggesting that sleep is a highly active process, essential for improving brain functions including (1) learning, (2) memory, (3) creativity and (4) emotional regulation.
TITLE: The Mysteries of Sleep
SPEAKERS:Matthew P. Walker, Associate Professor of Psychology, UC Berkeley
ADMISSION: FREE! Register here. (But Wonderfest needs your support to continue producing these events. Please consider even a small contribution. All donations are put to excellent use and are fully tax-deductible.)